What Oregon State WBB Said Ahead Of The Corvallis Regional

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With the Oregon State women's basketball team beginning its postseason journey this evening with a matchup against Eastern Washington at Gill Coliseum, BeaversEdge recaps all the quotes from head coach Scott Rueck, and guards Talia von Oelhoffen and AJ Marotte ahead of the matchup!

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Opening Statement

"I think today is just, you know, this weekend, I guess, is just an exciting time for everyone. I'm just so proud of this team and the way they have conducted themselves all year and to have them earn the right to be at home to start the NCAA Tournament this year is what everybody hoped at the beginning of the season, and it's just been a joy to watch it happen. So that's just my feeling. I'm just happy for Beaver Nation that's supported us at the highest level and happy for this team, to create an opportunity like this. So we are looking forward to getting that started."

Q: You have Talia on this roster who was in the bubble but that was a weird year for her, she talked about, just because she joined midway through and the only other player on this team with tournament, with other players that have never experienced it before.

A: For some reason, it just feels normal. This group has taken everything in stride all year and we have had some unique experiences. I think the hunger that this team has had has focused their desire, their wanting to win at such a high level; that it's been easy to cancel distractions and just focus on game.

They are so determined to get back here. That's why they all came here. Last year was not fun from a winning standpoint and feeling like you're disappointed in yourself, the whole experience. We got better as it went but everybody wants to be playing now.

So there's this underlying just desire that cancels distraction. That's a little bit of a distraction. It's like, it's just a game. You know, it's within the lines, and let's play.

For me as a coach, I've had lots of experience with young teams in big moments, and I've had success and I've -- that's how I coach. I don't feel it. Not anymore. I'm sure I used to but the reason I'm sitting here is because of the National Championship with ten true freshman, at Division III but still they had not been there. It's, let's go play and have fun and enjoy the moment.

You know, the lights are brighter. The gym, Gill, looks different. There's banners up and different things but the reality is, this team is just filled with true competitors that want to win, and so you know, so I anticipate we'll take it in stride and just roll on like we have and play well."

Q: Coach talked a lot about treating every game like you're playing South Carolina, from a coach's perspective, how do you approach that when something like the scouting report changes with every opponent you play, continuing that mindset?

A: "Yeah, we talk about possession by possession, being elite. We don't care who it's against. But certainly it changes game plan and you know, the things that you're going, but that statement just means we respect everyone. Obviously if you mention South Carolina, they are the overall 1-seed. So that's the team that commands the most respect.

So if you're treating everyone like that, then everyone is going to bet your best, and I think that's a lot of wisdom in that approach right there and I think that's what this team has done all year. There's been very little dip in effort or focus as the year has gone on. It's been a very high level of performance night-in and night-out and that's why we're sitting here. I think this team has demonstrated that and it comes from that mindset."

Q: You guys have played in a lot of big games this season but a lot of the players on this team have not played in a setting or atmosphere like this. What's the message or what has been the message this week to the team as they get ready to kick off for many of them, their first time playing in the March Madness Tournament?

A: "I think for the most part we have focused on fundamentals. You know, it's been awhile since we played, right. It's been two weeks, I think. So everything's been fundamentals. It's going back to the basics of the game and keeping our focus there and keeping our standards high throughout that.

You know, the one moment that we had this year that was really unique, I felt was at Stanford, Tara Day. It was Tara Day. It was a celebrity event that we were invited to, and so you know, this team, they have been in some environments that have been unique; that I think they have weathered well. And so I think it's just another game and yes, you know, we're playing for our life. Everybody is, you know, at this point.

I think that probably is the thing that probably drives your emotion more than anything else is just that."

Q: How would you describe AJ's influence or impact on this particular team given the experiences that she went through the first two years?

A: "I think AJ has had as big a role as anyone on our roster to set the tone and build the foundation of this group.

You know, the Italy experience was a massive opportunity for us that I think this team took full advantage of, and I give AJ a ton of credit for that. Her spirit on that trip, she put everybody at ease. She's just fun. AJ brings joy. She brings positivity and energy to everything. All day, every day.

And that was, you know, half our team is new and we are just forming. We have ten practices and then the next thing you know, we are immersed together for 11 days or whatever our trip was, and you know, that's a lot of meals. That's a lot of time, an 11-day team retreat, basically.

And AJ's voice was just consistent. And so as the group was figuring out, who am I in this group, and what am I going to be and is this a group that I can trust and be myself within, AJ was herself all the time and she just puts you at ease.

Her progress as a player, she's taken huge strides this year. And her wanting to win, she was maybe the most verbal in saying it in the preseason. Coach, I just want to win. Coach, I came here to win. I just want to win. I think that rubbed off on everyone and not only set the tone emotionally for the group and as her spirit does, but the expectation that things are going to be different this year. And I think people just rallied with her. Even though everybody wanted the same thing, she was the one that probably made it known the most."

Q: You faced quite a few Big Sky Conference teams in your 14 years here and you've seen Eastern a few times. What about this Eastern team makes them special and what about the Loera factor, and that the fact that they played here at Gill and had a good game last year a couple of years ago?

A: "Lots of things make them special. I think -- and I would say that's what they are. I mean, you watch them, and it's inspiring to watch them. They have got an incredible floor leader like you just mentioned. She is a coach on the floor at the highest level. She gets it. She can do everything. Shoots it, passes it, runs the floor, or runs the show and defends at a super high level, and gets the ball where it needs to go and controls tempo. All those things. She is what every coach dreams to have.

And so when you have that at your core and then you have the experience they have, and the willingness to play hard, this team plays as hard as anybody, and they are gritty and tough and they believe, you know. And I think I mentioned it at our selection show. You know, they have won 29 games. So if you win 29 games, you feel lots of things, and one of them is, man, we are a team of destiny. You would have that thought. So we know what we are facing in that regard.

So I love the way they play. I love how unselfish they play and they have got scorers all over the place and they commit to the defensive end. So that is what a good team is. So they are a very good team."

Q: I'm wondering, a lot has been said about the fact that this team, there were not a lot of expectations for this team heading into this season, and I'm wondering if the team met your expectations or if you're surprised by them or if you always knew what you had?

A: Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, picked 10th in the preseason in our own conference, and then to be here, sitting as a 3-seed in a tournament and hosting. That's dreamy stuff right there. Nobody could have predicted it. I couldn't have predicted that.

You know what I know we had was a team that had all the pieces and if the pieces came together, we had a chance to be a tough out every night. We had a chance to be very good. And I knew the character of the group. But every group has to choose to operate correctly. Leadership has to emerge, and obviously notch it up and level up from a year ago, and that all has happened.

And so I would say, I can't say I'm surprised, and so this is how I answer that question. I've been asked that a couple times. I just say I'm pleased. I'm pleased because the vision that a coach has, happened. It's still happening. We still have levels to go. We are not to the peak yet. Are you kidding? We are still learning. But the ability of this group at its potential is scary good, and we've seen flashes of that and we've seen stretches of that, and you know, so I wouldn't put anything past this group.

I felt like that is what August was for us. It was just the first time they were together, the first time they formed and the first time they competed, it was like, wow. I mean, wow. I know we're playing an exhibition game somewhere in Italy but the way that they competed and the way they played and how relentless it was and competitive it was, it was uncommon. It was special. So I knew we had something, and then it's just been a joy to watch it come together."

Q: You mentioned elite point guards on Sunday, obviously if you get through Eastern Washington, there's potential for facing some elite point guards. I guess what stands out now that you've taken a look at just the point guards in this part of the bracket?

A: "Well, I know them all well. I did a home visit with Breeje Schuler, that's the only time I've been to Australia. I've watched her play international before that, through the recruiting process. So I know her game inside and out, and have respected her as an elite competitor.

You know, and then India (ph), we got to know her, obviously competing against her for two, three years, I can't remember how -- I can't keep everything straight anymore.

But she had a great game against us a couple of years ago, and we know how talented she is and how dangerous she is. You know, and then Loera (ph), I have to say it right because I said it wrong the other day. We know her, too. She put 18 on us in Gill last year, and played just a great, complete game and that game went down to the final couple minutes.

And so I just have a ton of respect for each of them as competitors, for their game, for the leadership they provide for their team, and you know, know that their teams are here in large part, mostly maybe, because of their leadership. And so much respect."

Q: With Shelly in particular, since the last time you've seen her, how has she grown and transformed her game? Her numbers have gone up every year.

A: "I mean, she's in a system where she has a -- they need her, and they have needed her to be a scorer. And she -- you know, as I was watching her, she was a reluctant scorer. She was the player that you wouldn't notice for a while unless you're really -- you had to really watch her, and if you're watching her, she's controlling the game defensively and offensively; and I know what I'm talking about, a game that is not yet happening or may never happen. But they are here. And so let's just talk to the fans watching basketball in Corvallis this weekend.

But watching her through the recruiting process, I just fell in love with her game because I saw all the little subtle things that she does that a coach can't teach. Her defensive awareness, and she'd get the timely steal, and then her scoring they would elevate when they needed it. It's not like she's coming out to get hers. She just wants to win, and she'll do whatever it takes to win. That's what I coveted through that process is this is just a great player that gets it at an uncommon, high level. It's a gift. She has a gift. And now, it's cool to see her get to step up as a scorer and be so aggressive because now you know, she's just playing into her game at her potential all the time."

Q: Over the last several days, we've asked a lot of the players what they are most looking forward to either playing in their first March Madness Tournament or being back in the March Madness Tournament. What are you looking forward to as a coach being back here in this spot and this position?

A: "As a competitor, we're all competitors. I'm a teacher but I'm a competitor, too, right. So it's just fun to be able to be back in the tournament after, you know, a couple of years out. And so personally, the challenge of it is really fun.

As a coach, I just can't wait to see this team have the chance and have the opportunity to play in this. I mean, you know, delivering on the recruiting, all the talks, like what do you want to accomplish in your career, well, I wanting to deep in the tournament. I want to experience that and I'm just so happy that they get that and really, you know, it's special. There's a funky pressure playing at home, no question the postseason, that just comes with it. But there's no place you'd rather be than playing at home in front of your fan base and when your fan base is Beaver Nation in Gill Coliseum, it doesn't get better than that. I'm just excited for the team to have this opportunity that they have created."

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Q: When you came here to Oregon State after the 2021, 2022 season, you had come into a program that had a lot of success. Did you have to adapt as much or what were the adjustments for you the two years that it took to get the program back to where it was for you?

A: AJ MAROTTE: "It's definitely a huge adjustment. Coming into any college program as a freshman is a new, scary thing but Scott definitely has huge standards for like the small little details.

So having to adjust to those little things about my game that I didn't necessarily think about too much in high school was a huge adjustment but I've definitely grown into a much better player."

Q: The last time Oregon State was obviously in the March Madness Tournament, you were a part of that team. What have you told some of your teammates this week leading up to this game maybe about some of the differences that you felt in your first time playing in the March Madness Tournament and how it's different from the regular season?

A: TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "Yeah, I think that season was unique for a lot of reasons just because I came in halfway through and you know, you go through so much over the summer in the preseason building a team and gearing up for a season and I just kind of jumped in at the end of January and that was obviously the COVID year, so we were in San Antonio in the bubble.

I think while it was the NCAA Tournament still, it's nothing like playing in it this year. I think just for me individually and the tournament itself, it's just very different.

But obviously having that experience playing Florida State and then I think especially with South Carolina and our region having some conversations about them and what that was like, and we talk about you know, having that mindset of, you know, every team is South Carolina, in our heads, and we are playing South Carolina tomorrow at 5, especially rebounding and defensively and having that mindset going into it.

So for me having felt that against them my first year, yeah, I'd say they are kind of the standard for that defensive rebounding and just emphasizing that. It's going to be a challenge and yeah, I'm glad that I had that experience."

Q: Following up on that, that COVID bubble was certainly a different experience in terms of the NCAA Tournament. Just how much are you looking forward to playing a full-blown NCAA Tournament environment, especially here at home?

A: TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "I'm so excited. I'm grateful for that experience that year but for me this is my first NCAA Tournament, this is what it feels like, just because of the circumstances of that first one. So I'm super excited. Obviously we are in Gill and a high seed and just so much excitement, and this team has had a blast all year, ^ so just looking forward to continuing that in such a great tournament."

Q: You've persevered through so much. You posted about it earlier this week. How significant is it to you to get to this point and get back to the NCAA Tournament?

A: TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "Yeah, it's incredible. I think just thinking back to last year watching this tournament in a brace in my mom's bed at home, and you know, you work all year to get here, and now it's becoming a reality. It's just super exciting, and I'm so blessed to be in this position with the people that I'm with and yeah, it's been a long journey, so I'm just looking to continue it and just have fun in this tournament."

Q: You guys have talked about the rarity of sticking together as a group, nobody left after last year despite the struggles of that team. Specifically, what were the things that gave you guys a belief that this team could be special? What did you guys see internally that maybe people on the outside didn't see or expect from you guys?

A: AJ MAROTTE: "I think starting off this season going to Italy and having a foreign trip at the beginning was a huge thing for us. Scott recruits amazing people and we all get along super well, and I think people know that by now.

We are all best friends and we are inseparable everywhere and on the court that helps us a lot, knowing my teammates. Me and Talia have played for a while, so just having that connection, and I have that with all my teammates and it's super special."

TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "I think us, too, and then the other five returners that came back after last year, they were all freshmen in that same class. They were so close in going through that tough freshman year and living in the dorms together, I think that how close those five were and then kind of AJ and I are close to them as well but I think that bond you build in the dorms is a little bit different.

So all of us just coming together and the way that -- I mean, I had surgery but the way that they all approached spring last year and just having such a positive outlook and so much hope for what this year could be, even given the way that last year went, it's just incredible, and yeah, I think it's just a testament to how much we care about each other and how close we are."

Q: Building off that question, a lot of people point to that stretch you had of six games where you beat five ranked opponents as kind of the turning point of your season. But where would you guys like look at the season and say, okay, this is when we realized that we can be really good?

A: AJ MAROTTE: "I think we thought from the beginning, we had something special. You know, a lot of people were saying different things about us. We didn't think twice about it. We knew we had something, and you know, obviously we proved that along the way in many different games. But yeah, I think from the beginning, we all had, you know -- we had all seen signs that we were going to do something special this season.

TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "Yeah, I agree with that for sure but I think there's a little bit of a level of having to prove it to yourself, and so I think the Mountain cane schools coming into Gill, Colorado was No. 3 at the time, playing them on Friday, and on paper, that was a close game, but I think we dominated that game for at least 35 minutes.

Obviously there are a couple stretches that were tough. But you know, we dominated them that game, and just played super well and then that Sunday, I mean, I think Utah, that fourth quarter, kind of got a way front of us, but those first three quarters before the best basketball we played all year, and we watched that in film the other day, too, just how impactful we were, especially defensively and just the bounce and the energy that we played with. We talked about if we play like we did that game against Utah, we think we can compete with anyone and that's when we are at our best.

So I think coming off that weekend, looking around at each other, like yeah, we are like that when we want to be. That was a turning point. Obviously you have a belief and hope but that was really, really proven, the caliber of the team that we are."

Q: Talk a little bit about each other, AJ, what makes Talia a special part of the team, and Talia, about AJ

A: AJ MAROTTE: "Talia just has a competitive fire and drive that I've never had in a teammate. You know, even when we are having hard days, hard practices, she's pushing us all, even when she's having a hard day, it's still that fight and fire is there and it's inspiring. It's infectious. She makes us all want to work hard and push ourselves to be the best that we can, and having a teammate like that is, you know, it's priceless."

TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "I think AJ, she's just one of our more -- I think her and Donna are our most consistent players, and you know what you're going to get from them every day they step in the gym, and so having that come from one of the leaders on the team and even just in her game, she gets to her pull up, you know it's going in. Certain defensive situations, you know the plays she's going to make.

I think just to step away from basketball, just the person she is and the way that she can light up rooms, you know, make everyone smile, make everyone laugh, just be that positive, vibrant energy in the locker room, I think every great team needs that and every great team has that.

And so that's who AJ is for us and I think us two being leaders on the team, like she said, I'm really competitive and sometimes that's emotional and that turns into frustration, and you know that's something I work through every day.

But AJ is just consistent. She's steady and she always makes the plays that we need her to, and she's just the same every day and that's something that's just tough to do. So that's an incredible aspect of what she brings to the team."

Q. You mentioned the other day, how well you know some of the players on Eastern Washington. What's it like playing against someone that you know so well? And do you share a scouting report with your teammates since you know so much about her game?

A: TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "Yeah, it's a super cool opportunity. We played them last year but to play them on a stage like this is so cool. We have a couple friends that might make the drive, friends that we share that we're both super close with. So just even for our families and friends to come watch us play against each other is super cool. The coaches take care of the scout but there's a couple things, she's one of the most gifted offensive rebounders I've ever played with, especially from the perimeter, the way she follows her shot and the knack she has for tracking the ball off the rim.

So obviously the coaches emphasize that but it's just like, no, we need to box this girl out. So little things like that. But I'm super excited to see her and step on the floor with her, and her journey has been incredible, as well. She's just a really great person and yeah, I'm excited to see her."

Q. What's been the conversations between the team and the energy going into tomorrow? This is a team that you've played before, you've beat them before, but obviously this weighs a little bit more.

A: TALIA VON OELHOFFEN: "I think that I kind of alluded to this before, just going into every game, this is a 1-seed. This is -- you know, obviously they are a good team, and you have to come into it with that humility and that respect for the team.

So our mantra has been just to take it one game at a time and we know what the game should look like, and we'll take care of business and play the way we know how to play. I think just approaching it with the same level of respect that we would approach any Pac-12 team, any Top-10 team, whatever it is, that's kind of the goal throughout this whole tournament is just, you know, following the scout, respecting them, emphasizing defense, rebounding. Just who we are as a team and our identity, just keeping that consistent.

And then I think just the excitement surrounding it. You grow up dreaming of playing in this tournament, and so this is dreams to reality, and I think we owe it to each other and to the little versions of ourselves to show up and do what we know how to do."

Q. How much of an advantage is it to play at home with the fans?

A: AJ MAROTTE: "It's a huge advantage. We are super excited. Playing at Gill is hard for any away team coming in here. This whole season, Beaver Nation has showed up for us and it's been really exciting to play in Gill. It's something I'll never forget in my team here. So it's definitely a huge, huge thing that we get to play here."

Q: Can you give me a quick 30-second scouting report on Eastern Washington now that you know them a little bit better?

A: AJ MAROTTE: Yeah, they have a really good point guard. We are just trying to slow them down. Play our game. Play fast. But they are hard rebounders, so going against them and boxing out, like Talia said, that's our main thing is thinking that every team is South Carolina and being able to box out these aggressive teams and going with an underdog mindset but still ready to dominate in every aspect."

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